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73
couraging, not only as a substantial addition to the population,
but as an indication of a rapid increase in our tidal
population—so to speak. It has been found (as was
explained on pages 7 and 8 of last year's Report) that the
number of births bears a more uniform and reliable relation
to the population than that of the deaths, so that given
a certain number of births, we can approximately arrive
at the population of the District in which they occurred.
By making use of this method, we find that our population
in 1877 ought to be 12,375, instead of 11,287, a
probably correct estimate. The increase in the deaths
does not appear so formidable with this altered population,
reducing as it does the rate of mortality from 15.0 to
13.7 per 1000.
From the above table it will be seen that the
natural increase (i. e. the difference between the number of
births and deaths) was 181, giving a rate of 16.0 per 1000.
The Table which follows presents in a concise form
the entire mortality of the District, giving the cause of
death and the sex, age, and social status of the deceased.